Codebreaker commandant Steven Hawley says it's more a feeling we get, but some will argue that the eight tracks on the band's new record, "Spacecamp Luxury," share a lot of sonic similarities with '80s synth pop of all stripes, too. There are keyboards that will remind you of Depeche Mode, beat box rhythms that recall the earliest examples of New York- and (especially) Miami-style Latin hip-hop and there are guitar figures that will, egad, even make you think of Tears for Fears!

But, Codebreaker are no revivalists and they're certainly not copying any trends, past or present. In reality, Codebreaker's style is much more difficult to codify. There are keyboards that make sounds that will take you back to '70s funk records -- including healthy doses of Vocoder -- they're more interested in the low end than most '80s groups were, thanks to a love for reggae and funk.

Best of all, in the end, you'll walk away humming great choruses from tracks like "Moody Automatic," which also has a great Beatles-style vocal bit at the end.

Codebreaker is gearing up to really launch "Spacecamp Luxury" and we asked Hawley to tell us about the band, the record and the future of Codebreaker.

OMC: How did Codebreaker get started?

SH: Codebreaker has been around for quite some time now. My guitarist Timi and I have been friends since high school. Like a lot of kids at that time, we played in various hardcore, punk rock and ska groups. Every time I ran into Timi we'd end up talking about our love for a lot of different music. This was a rare quality because most teenagers of sub-cultural arenas mainly play in groups to feel a part of a scene or to hopefully sound like one of their favorite scenester groups.

Timi and I parted ways and met up a few years later. By then most of our former peers either turned into thugs or started indie rock groups, neither of which appealed to us. We didn't start with the intention of "going for a sound." We are long-time dissenters of the "scenes" and from the little we heard going on, really didn't care to know more. We just started out of an honest, genuine love for music, people and performing, not to be a part of or to win over the approval of scenes. So, we just focused on creating our own thing.

OMC: Is it a conventional band set-up or more like your project with guests?

SH: We are finally a band, yes. It was only a "project" for as long as it was because we wanted to wait for the right fit rather than to have "a band" with compromised direction. We knew it would take some time.

OMC: Tell us about some of your co-conspirators. I see you've got Sage Schwarm and Nate Vest of The Thousandaires, Paul Jonas and some others. What do they bring to Codebreaker?

SH: Well, Sage is a permanent member and co-writer. As for Nate, Paul Jonas and Andy Noble, they were basically hired guns who helped Timi, William and I record some songs and mobilize things enough to at least get us playing out, here and there. We knew these guys as top-notch players with great taste and a real sincere approach to things, which was important to us.

OMC: Is "Spacecamp Luxury" your first record?

SH: Yes.

OMC: Tell us about making it. Was it recorded at home?

SH: Some of it at (Jeff) Hamilton's, some of it at Bionic and some at Sage's house. Fortunately, Sage has an incredible ear for tasteful mixing and production, which aided us a great deal when making the record.